By Ryan Burton
On Wednesday evening Cuban knockout artist Yuniel "The KO Doctor" Dorticos (16-0 16 KOs) will look to move one step closer to a world title shot when he defends his WBA Fedelatin cruiserweight title against Eric Fields(24-2 16 KOs) in Santa Monica, Calif. The vacant USBA cruiserweight title will also be at stake.
Dorticos last fought on February 28th when he destroyed the previously undefeated Hamilton Ventura in the first round of a fight that was scheduled for 10 rounds. Dorticos said that he only took a week off after the fight and feels even sharper by staying active.
"I had a great training camp. I just took a week off after my last fight. I came out of it clean and it was a short fight so I didn't need a lot of rest. I got right back into camp and we were training for Youri Kalenga but that fight fell through and Fields is the new opponent. We had a great camp and I am ready to go. You will see the results on Wednesday night.
"I love fighting frequently. I don't like having long breaks in between fights if I can help it. I love being active. I work better and perform better with the activity," said Dorticos.
The 28-year-old Cuban would like to get a title shot after the fight against Fields but he said that he isn't going to sit around and wait for it to happen. He and his promoter Caribe Promotions have a plan in place and part of that plan includes Dorticos remaining active.
"I want a title shot but I also want to remain active. This my year. Me and my team have been working so hard on this and when you get to this level you just have to keep performing. Whether the title shot comes or not I am going to stay active," Dorticos stated.
All of Dorticos fights have ended inside of the distance including 9 of his victories coming in the first round. While he hopes to keep his knockout streak intact, he insists that he doesn't go in the ring expecting to knock his opponents out and that he is ready to go all 10 rounds if necessary. Fields is regarded as durable and has only lost 2 of his 26 professional fights, though he was stopped in both of those losses.
"I don't think about getting knockouts. I train hard and I work hard. I come to fight and if the knockout comes then it comes. If it goes 10 rounds I will be ready to go all 10 rounds," Dorticos explained.
Wednesday's fight will be Dorticos's third fight in the last 9 months. The "KO Doctor" is starting to develop a cult following among boxing fans because of his crowd pleasing style and concussive power. Dorticos said that the fans can expect more of the same when he steps in the ring against Fields.
"I am here to give all of my fans the best effort that I can. That is what I always try to do. Nothing will be different in this fight. I am going to win and I am going to give the fans a show," Dorticos told BoxingScene.com.
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